The Leap of Aspiration

Across towns and cities, the aspiration of the Indian people to seek and make a better life can be seen everywhere.

Institutes offering English speaking courses to computer classes to coaching for engineering colleges to airhostess academies have sprung up in smaller cities, giving wider career options to India's youth who number half a billion at last count.

No more is the pension-secure government job the only option.

Young India is taking risks, moving to urban centres to work in call centres, the hospitality and retail sectors -- all in the quest of making a better life.

The Mall Invasion

Shining glass structures have become almost regular fixtures in cities and towns across the country, an example of how new development is bringing about a 'sameness' that seems to be robbing cities of their uniqueness.

The markers that make one city distinct from the other seem to be blurring in this new wave of infrastructure.

Malls may be the gleaming towers of middle class consumerism but the Indian bazaar's charm is unbeatable.

I am quite sure that the chaos of the old bazaars will hold on firmly. Chandni Chowk any day!

Reality Television

From singing stars to millionaires to finding a bride and groom and getting them married, Indian television is dishing it all out.

From swayamvars -- where the bride, or groom chooses a life partner from a crowd of hopefuls -- to little children dancing to film songs egged on by pushy parents, it has brought participants from every part of India into the nation's living rooms.

Enthusiastic boys and girls with a do or die fervour take to the stage with life defining conviction becoming household names for a few weeks, sharing laughter, tears and melodrama with millions watching them night after night.

Nary is there a night without a reality show. It leaves you breathless!

Right to Information

If there is one law enacted by Parliament that has given ordinary Indians a powerful tool to get answers from governments and bureaucrats, it is the Right to Information Act.

After a persistent crusade for greater transparency, the Act has brought in hope for citizens wanting greater accountability for government policies and also serves as a potent reminder to ministers and bureaucrats that they are duty-bound to provide the answers.

At least a beginning has been made!

Image: A complaint box that was destroyed during the cloudburst in Leh

The Cycle Revolution

While the Tata Nano is expected to make the car affordable for the scooter-driving Indian, it is the humble cycle that is bringing in a revolution in government-run schools in Bihar, one of India's most impoverished states.

By providing cycles to Class 9, 10 schoolgirls, the government has encouraged them to attend school in villages and towns in the state, boosting enrolment.

A similar scheme has been applicable in the developed state of Tamil Nadu but is notable because Bihar, for far too long a metaphor of all that's wrong with India, is turning a corner, in this case by a simple cycle ride.

In the maze of government schemes with dismal success rates, this one is a big high.

Image: Schoolgirls in Bihar with their new bicycles, which were handed over by the state governmentPhotographs: Seema Pant